Digging your own grave

It is extremely exciting," said state Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson(TN), refering to a new program that will tag ex-cons with GPS devices.

"This will give us the opportunity to reduce the demand for prison beds. By doing that, it will allow us to stiffen penalties for more serious felons that pose a much greater risk for the community."

In other words the state is figuring out how to turn citizens into slaves who work to pay for their own imprisonment. The state promises this technique will only be used on the really bad people, and maybe some fathers who are behind on their child support. If you have a few parking tickets or were picked up for public intox no need to worry, for now.

From the horse's mouth
"Court Programs will place tracNET24 units on a wide range of offenders including deadbeat dads, juveniles, domestic violence and misdemeanor cases, and those on pre-trial release for felonies. By adopting tracNET24, Court Programs is providing Mississippi and Florida with the most advanced offender tracking available. The device allows authorities to monitor, via a satellite system, the whereabouts of offenders who are outfitted with small 12-ounce personal tracking units (PTU). A PTU receives signals from the Department of Defense's GPS satellite system and after the PTU is docked for charging, the PTU downloads the offenders' movements into a database accessed by correction officials. In addition, authorities may program exclusion areas, places where the presence of an offender is prohibited; such as certain residences, schools, and child care facilities. tracNET24 gives authorities verifiable records of where offenders have been, 24 hours per day, seven days a week."